Wayne Gretzky has watched plenty of young players arrive with the weight of a country on them. He thinks Gavin McKenna is carrying his better than most. The NHL's all-time leading scorer offered a detailed take on the Toronto Maple Leaf's No. 1 overall pick, starting with an acknowledgment of the circumstances.
“There's a lot of pressure when you get the first pick overall. My hat goes off to this young man,” Gretzky said via the Pat McAfee show. “It's one thing to go to Toronto, be the first pick overall, and there's way more pressure if you're a Canadian boy and you get drafted number one by Canada than Toronto.”
What impressed him most was the composure. “I've listened to a lot of what he said. He seems like he's very mature for 18 years old,” Gretzky said. “He's a young kid. He's not very big, but he's going to grow and get stronger. I really like the way he's handled himself, the media and the game itself. He's going to be fine.”
The maturity showed up before McKenna had even played. He skipped the optional morning skate ahead of his debut, a decision that drew a grin from head coach Jim Hiller, who said he was not surprised because McKenna simply knows who he is. Veteran defenseman Chris Tanev called it swag.
The debut itself was uneven. McKenna logged 15:19 in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Montreal, finishing minus-2 with one shot and two giveaways, including a turnover inside his own blue line that led directly to a Canadiens goal. He started on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander and added 2:33 of power play time.
He did not sugarcoat it afterward. “Not my best, but yeah, I think I'm glad we're playing again tomorrow,” McKenna said.
Gretzky also had thoughts on the roster around him. “I think the group in Toronto is putting together a nice little hockey club here,” he said. “I think they're going to be a better team this year than people anticipate.”
McKenna arrives after 15 goals and 51 points in 35 games at Penn State, and 41 goals and 129 points in the WHL the year before.